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Why do I teach, you ask? I teach, because it is a highly rewarding and
fulfilling profession. Teachers have one of the most important, meaningful, and
purpose-driven jobs of anyone today. We share valuable information and
important skills to encourage a love of learning that will serve students the
rest of their lives. I do this work because I am committed to having a
positive impact on the future of each student that I serve.

I wake up each morning and serve students at Iroquois Middle School. Being a role model and teaching students the skills and
knowledge they need beyond the classroom is extremely inspiring and rewarding.
No two days in teaching are ever the same. For me, now a teacher myself, my motivation has always come from students in my
classroom. I know that it is essential to make lesson plans interesting in
order to get all students motivated about learning. I emphasize the
collaborative and cooperative nature of scientific work. I do my best to
creatively facilitate the…

Through an Oakland University study abroad program, I taught 4th and 5th grade at Sunnyvale Primary School in New Zealand. These are reflections and memories from my experiences. My experience was professionally and personally
rewarding: I learned new teaching strategies, developed my listening
skills and adapted my lifestyle to live and work in a new environment.As a result, I have become a more confident, well-rounded and self-reflective educator.

I was challenged to teach all
subjects, including swimming, fitness, art, sport and music. I had to
listen carefully to different accents. Many words we use in the United
States have different meanings or do not exist in New Zealand’s
vocabulary.

For example, if I asked a student to place a “period”
at the end of a sentence, they had no idea what I was talking about. In
New Zealand, a period is called a “full stop.” If I asked a student to
pull out an eraser, they would call it a “rubber.” Soccer is a word
unique to New Zealand an…

High-quality tests that accurately assess student learning and
help teachers understand how to improve instruction are an essential part of an
excellent education. But in some states and districts today, large-scale
standardized testing has gotten out of hand, with students taking as many as 20
standardized tests per year. This was the situation in Michigan not too long ago. Teachers,
parents, and students felt powerless when it came to government-mandated
standardized tests such as the Michigan Student Test for Educational Progress
(M-STEP). It was difficult for us to understand if the amount of time
spent on standardized testing was actually beneficial to students. Hours were
taken away from teaching and learning time last school year in order to
administer the M-STEP. This was a problem. Many teachers thought standardized tests were an unreliable and
inaccurate measure of student growth. Educators argued standardized tests
should not be on the cutting edge of education because it prom…

Technology can help teachers “Ignite Learning” in the classroom by
promoting literacy development and critical thinking. The ability to
communicate and create is what sparks learning.“Kids these days” are just wired to operate in a digital
environment, which enables them to take control of their education. This
technology captivates students and makes them desire to learn more about the
content.

Elite and innovative educators are “Blending and Flipping the
Classroom” in order to meet the diverse needs of students. The numerous FREE
online resources available can create a classroom that extends beyond normal
school hours and walls.

This provides students with more flexible opportunities for peer
interaction, learning the content, and developing technology skills. “Blending
and Flipping the Classroom” and in-person environments are really the best of
both worlds because students receive the benefit of face-to-face interaction
with more opportunities to learn outside of the classroom.

I stand with Detroit teachers, students, and parents because they want their voices heard! They are demanding solutions and reform
to plaguing issues that attack the human and civil rights to a public
education. They are protesting by staging citywide “sickouts” for safe working
and learning environments because the policy makers in Lansing were not
listening, taking action, or giving them the attention they deserve.

Mushrooms growing out of walls, leaky roofs,
rat feces, standing water, crumbling stairwells, black mold, three-inch-long
cockroaches, and kids have to wear coats just to stay warm in overcrowded
classrooms with little or no heat. According to Detroit Mayor Michael Duggan, these
schools are literally falling apart. We may find better facilities and learning
environments in third world countries. These miserable conditions are unacceptable and
disgusting. Who should be held accountable for these issues, which are the
cause for these “sickouts”? Financial deficits created …

EAST LANSING, MI – JCMU’s administration is excited to announce that the Japan Center for
Michigan Universities (JCMU) will be organizing the Michigan-Shiga High School Exchange
program. The staff looks forward to utilizing its skills and resources to steward
this esteemed international program. The Michigan-Shiga High School Exchange Program began in 1990 to promote international
relationships between American and Japanese high school students. For two weeks during the
summer, 15 American students have the opportunity to travel to Japan and live with a host
family in Shiga prefecture.

There, the participants meet with a Japanese student partner,
experience Japanese high school classes, and participate in unique cultural events within the
surrounding community and their host family. The program also coincides with a Japanese high
school student cultural festival called a bunkasai, in which the Japanese students organize
activities involving sports, dances, games, and music.